Setember 2007: From Lombok we motor sailed to Bukti on the North side of Bali. Arriving in the early evening as we did not want to do an over nighter. The bay was a little rolly, but good for a night. We dinghied Phoebe and Drake ashore to stretch our legs and the locals came out to say hi. The next morning we had a four hour motor sail to Lovina Beach, which was the next stop on the rally.

Sailing in Indonesia you have to keep a good watch as there are many obstacles floating in the water. One of which is the FAD, fish attracting device. They are bamboo platforms with palm fronds and float off shore.

In Lovina the town was all decked out with decorations that were hand made out of leaves. Lovina is a tourist destination, so there are deals everywhere. All the hotels would allow you to use their pools, and have great meals and inexpensive Bintangs. It was our first introduction to Hinduism and Drake noticed that the people would make offerings to the Buddhist statues. So he put some flowers on a leaf and presented it to the statue as well. As the final stop for the rally the anchorage filled up over the next few days. The town was so excited to have us, it was interesting as all the hotels thought that we would want rooms, and did not realized that the boats are our homes.

The hotel we most frequented had hour long $6 massages pool side, it was a nice treat. The ladies who worked at the pool also did our laundry for us. They were so intrested in all the sail boats, that we brought them out to see what they are like. Both of them felt sea sick just standing on board. Another resort had these beautiful clay pots with frangipanies in their ears. There are many sights around Lovina, instead of doing homeschool on board we took the children on a field trip. The first stop was the Air Terjun Gitgit (air means water), a mutlti tiered waterfall. Drake and Finn stand under the giant Bamboo and Phoebe and Sophie wander through the springs.

From the waterfall our route took us over a mountain pass to the Kebun Raya Eya Karya Bali, the botanical garden. The climate is more temperate and cooler as it is on the lower slopes of Mt. Gunung Pohon. There is an extensive collection of trees and 500 species of orchids.

From the Botanical gardens is teh Pura Ulun Banu Bratan, a Hindu/Buddhist temple which dates from the 17th century. The temple is dedicated to Dewi Danu, the goddess of the waters. The children found a playground in the gardens, which were immaculate. It was very cloudy andcool so we could not view the majestic Gunung Catur at 2096 meters.

Phoebe, Sophie and Finn play at the playground at the water temple. Next door is a Muslem Mosque. In Bali Hinduism is the main religion, unlike the other towns in Indonesia where it was Islam. The two live peacefully side by side. Hinduism being the third largest religion in the world and Islam the second.

Before these religions took root, the Indonesians were animists and worshipped their ancestors and spirits. Eventually Islam became the main religion of the area, but their religion is based in all three, Hinduism, Islam and animism. A Hindu procession leaves the temple after giving their offerings to Buddha.

Traveling back the driver took us on a different route, through the hills filled with rice paddies, sawah fields, that Bali is famous for, having the most fertile soil. Terraced rice cultivation has been in practise for over 2000 years. For the fields to be successful they require great organization from a coorperative village or from peasant workers. The fields can produce two sometimes three crops a year, year after year, with hardly any change to the fertility.

After the drive down the fields, the children were treated to Air Panas Banjar, hot springs. It was the weekend so they were very crowded. Phoebe and Drake stand under carved stone nagas, which are mythical snake-like creatures. There were three pools to choose from, can you find the children in the bottom photo? Walking up to the hot springs were hawkers selling Sarongs for only $1.00, they are desperate for business, one was even selling a baby monkey.

The last stop of the tour was the Vrahmavihara Arama, Bali's only Buddhist monastery. Everyone needs a sarong to enter, it is a good thing we always have one in our back pack. Statues and decorative carvings welcome you into the rooms for meditation.

All the boats from the rally arrived and the town greeted everyone with a Gala dinner. The beach was filled with yachties, locals and dinghies. Phoebe wanted to sample the pink fluffy stuff, a type of rice dessert. Afterward we decided it was too crowded for our tastes so ventured to a nearby restaurant to sit and relax. Finn, Drake, Phoebe and Sophie enjoy one last swim.

Lovina was a great place to re-load our provisions. There was a fantastic bakery, which also sold Western items, ie: Cheddar Cheese, Best Foods Mayonaise, Salami, Sausages, Streaky Bacon (American Style), peanut M&M's, just to name a few. There was also a nice fruit and vege market.

Blue Sky was ready to move on towards Kumai, Kalimatan. We wanted to stay ahead of the rally, and there was still a few more days in Bali for them to enjoy.